Once upon a time, there was this young guy that joined the Navy. The itch for something different wasn’t quite scratched by that though, so he became a Nuclear Machinist Mate. Satisfaction wasn’t going to be had just yet, so of course he volunteered to go submarines. Um, yeah?
Well, that’s the story with a few facts left to your imagination. In 1984 I signed up and under two years later I found myself walking on board my first submarine. That’s when the story gets interesting.
A few firsts from that time:
- first submarine – USS Atlanta
- first words I heard – “ha, fresh meat”
- first thing I learned – the Chief of the Boat had killed someone with his car
- first important duty – laundry duty
- first port of call in a foreign country – England
- first watch station – Engine Room Lower Level
Oh there are lots of stories to tell from that period of my life. Some I can share, some I can’t, some I won’t. There’s a book in there somewhere. A couple of highlights:
- Two submarines – second was USS Norfolk
- favorite port call – Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Bluenose initiation (will never make the news)
- hitting bottom (made the news!)
- beer tasting in Belgium
- sitting on the beach in Bermuda
I stayed in the Navy just about 11 1/2 years before I came to my senses, or as the rest of my family and friends said, until I lost my senses. I can’t give you one solid fact that lead to me getting out. There were no lottery winnings, no guaranteed job, no big savings in the bank, and being a Nuclear trained Machinist Mate didn’t translate well to conventional jobs.
In Pt 2 I’ll give you a little insight into the why, and lead you through the next few years of my life. Thanks for taking a few moments to hear about who I am and how I got to where I’m at.
Thanks Jen for your comments. Would love to write a book. I'm sure it'd be more fun in some ways than it was the first time around. Ha.
Nuclear Machinist Mate = Runs the steam plant for a nuclear engine room.
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